Abstract

To investigate the safety and stability of a concrete lining, numerous studies have been conducted over the years and several methods have been developed. Most signal processing techniques of NDT have been based on Fourier analysis. However, the application of Fourier analysis to analyze recorded vibrational signal shows results in the frequency domain only, and it is not enough to analyze transient waves precisely. In this study, Wavelet theory was employed for the analysis of non-stationary wave induced by mechanical impact on tunnel concrete lining. The Wavelet transform of transient signals provides a method for mapping the frequency spectrum as a function of time. To verify the availability of Wavelet transform as a time-frequency analysis tool, model experiments have been conducted and the thickness of the concrete lining was estimated based on the proposed theory. From this study, it was found that the contour map by Wavelet transform provides more distinct results than the power spectrum by Fourier transform and it was also found that Wavelet transform was also an effective tool for the analysis of dispersive waves in tunnel concrete linings.